by Holly Martin
Cain smiled, ruefully. ‘A dream or a prophecy Eve?’
‘A dream I think, but I don’t trust Nathaniel.’
‘Neither do I, that’s why I keep him so close.’
I nodded.
Cain stepped away towards the window. ‘I’m sorry to hear about what happened here at the fort over the last day. And I understand why you would not want to continue your training with us. We let you down, first with the Reapers and then with Adam. Though I would hope you will continue to practise your powers for the next few days.’
‘I will,’ I said. I hesitated for a moment before I spoke. ‘Cain, do you know how I can tap into the power of the earth?’
He turned round to face me. ‘That is not something anyone can do.’
‘I’ve done it before, I’m sure I have, though unconsciously, there have been times that my powers have exceeded what I’m normally capable of.’
‘There are those that have tried and died doing it. If you have tapped into it before, I imagine you only absorbed a tiny fragment of power from the earth. Trying to take more could be fatal. The power of the earth is not something to be messed with. You are already the most powerful person on this planet. You have everything you need within you. Don’t doubt that.’
I sighed. What if it wasn’t enough?
‘Get some sleep Eve, I’ll see you in a few days, I’m sure,’ Cain said, closing the subject and a moment later he was gone.
*
I was woken the next day by a knock on the door. It was still early, the grey light of dawn barely lighting up the horizon. Although it was snowing heavily outside and the heavy clouds could be making it seem much earlier in the day than it was.
I slid from Seth’s arm and noticed how tired he looked. I wasn’t sure when was the last time he had slept with everything that had been going on lately but I would make sure he took a few hours today.
I answered the door and Lucas was on the other side with a huge grin on his face.
‘Persia and Izri’s helicopter will be coming into land in the next few minutes.’
Despite that they had come back to the fort to give me some news which probably wouldn’t be good, I couldn’t help the smile from spreading on my face. Although it had only been three weeks, I had missed them.
‘I’ll just get dressed. Can you tell Quinn they’re here? I’m sure he will be happy to see Izri too.’
Lucas nodded and I went back into my room.
‘Seth, I’m just going down to greet Persia and Izri, will you rest for a few hours.’
He didn’t look too sure.
‘I promise not to go anywhere. I’m just going to practise my powers again.’
Seth nodded and closed his eyes. Immediately drifting off into a deep sleep. I envied the Guardians’ abilities to be able to fall asleep straight away. With my weird dreams and prophecies and with my fear of the impending end of the world, I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep myself lately.
I got changed and met Lucas back out in the corridor and as we walked down the stairs with Mason, Quinn came out of one of the bedrooms further down the tower.
We walked outside just as the tranquil silence of the morning was broken by the noise of the helicopter coming into land.
As soon as Persia was clear of the helicopter, Lucas ran forward to hug her, kissing her hard before she’d even had a chance to say a word. Quinn was a little bit more hesitant to greet Izri but he slung one arm around her shoulders as she walked towards him. He was talking quietly to her and whatever he said made her smile. I waited for them to finish talking before I approached and gave Izri a hug.
‘It’s so good to see you both. How are you doing?’ I asked. It was a stupid question really, her dad had died only three weeks before.
‘I’m doing OK. It’s good to be back actually. Mum has gone to stay with her sister for a while. How are you?’
I resisted sighing over how quickly the conversation had turned back to me. ‘I’m fine, it’s a horrible thing to say, knowing what’s coming but I just want this to be over with now. All this not knowing is killing me. I still have no idea what I need to prepare for. Two of the Oraculum have been killed by Adam and the remaining four members are looking at me as if I’m responsible. The sooner I can get them out of my life the better.’
Persia and Lucas joined us and I hugged Persia tight. ‘I’m so pleased to see you again, but are you sure you’re ready to come back?’
‘I think the distraction will help and we really need to talk.’
Whatever she wanted to say I didn’t want to hear it. What could be worse than my sick brother killing off members of the Oraculum, probably so he could kill me too? And what could be worse than the end of the world, where by all accounts the earth would burn.
Persia smiled. ‘It’s actually good news for once. Well I hope it is.’
‘I could do with some good news.’
‘It involves you and Seth so maybe I should tell you both.’
‘Seth’s asleep, he hasn’t slept for a few days. But you can tell me.’
‘Why don’t we go to my room?’ Persia suggested as Izri walked off with Quinn.
‘Um, your old room isn’t there anymore, we had a fire and the whole of our corridor was destroyed. Lucas do you have a room yet?’
‘Yes, we can go there.’
‘It’ll be a good thing to have Lucas there actually, he might be able to answer some questions that I can’t.’
I was even more intrigued by this. Persia knew so much about my powers and the Zeki and Donum world. I would be surprised if there was anything she didn’t know.
We made our way back up towards the tower and leaving Seth in peace, we went inside Lucas’s room. Persia sat down on the bed and I sat next to her.
‘Eve, I see a child, a little girl. In every prophecy I see, in every dream I have, she is there.’
I swallowed. ‘My daughter?’
‘Yes.’
‘You’ve seen her before though. In a few years from now, on the beach of my island.’
Persia shook her head. ‘She comes sooner than that. I see Seth playing with her next Christmas, she must be around one year old.’
‘A year old? That doesn’t make sense. I would have to be nine months pregnant now and…’ I looked down at my scrawny frame, there was definitely no baby in there.
‘Yes, I don’t get it either.’
‘A Deus baby grows much quicker than a human baby,’ Lucas said, from his positon on the window seat. ‘A three or four month old Deus baby would probably be the same size as a one year old human. The gestation period for Deus babies is much shorter too. Deus carry their babies for only four months not nine. It’d be different for you, you’re human but you have Deus DNA in you too. Seth is half human so I imagine your gestation period will be somewhere between four and nine months.’
‘So I get pregnant in the next few months?’ Suddenly I was glad I was sitting down. If I thought the responsibility of saving the world was scary enough, being a mum was even more terrifying. I was eighteen years old and while I wanted children with Seth, I presumed that would happen several years down the line. ‘Wait, I can’t get pregnant. I have that implant in me.’
When Seth and I had got married six months before, Eli had broached the very embarrassing subject of contraception. I wasn’t entirely sure that Seth’s and my DNA was compatible enough to produce a baby without some kind of scientific help but with all the Putarians trying to kill me and the world that needed saving at some point, a baby would have been impossible. So we agreed that I’d have an implant in my arm which Cassidy had fitted for me. It was supposed to last three years.
‘We’ve seen before how your body reacts with normal human medicine. The medicine is either completely ineffective or your body burns off the medicine much quicker than a human would. It’s entirely possible that the implant only worked for a few months before your body absorbed it all, if it worked at all,’ Lucas said, practically.
That really was something we should have thought about before.
‘Would you like to see her?’ Persia asked, gently.
I looked at her and found myself nodding.
Suddenly my head was filled with an image of Seth, sitting under a Christmas tree as a little girl with a short dark bob, wearing a pretty green dress, tottered around him as confidently as if she had been walking for several months. Seth was grinning hugely as she climbed on top of him, wound her arms round his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Tears filled my eyes. My beautiful daughter. I wanted this future now, more than anything. This is what I would fight for.
‘This is a possible future though isn’t it, depending on if I’m killed by the Putarians or whether I manage to save the world?’
‘I don’t know. I guess so. This is the only future I see. Seth and your daughter playing together.’
I smiled. ‘Wait, just Seth and my daughter? You don’t see me?’
Persia shook her head. ‘But just because I don’t see you, doesn’t mean you’re not there. It could just mean you weren’t there at that particular time or in a different room. You know as well as I do that the prophecies we see are not as all seeing as we would like. We don’t see everyone in a prophecy. I don’t see me, Lucas, Eli or anyone else in this glimpse of the future, doesn’t mean that we aren’t there either.’
I let out a deep breath.
‘Well this is big news and something I definitely need to talk to Seth about.’ I gave Persia another hug. ‘It’s good to have you back.’
I left them in their room and Mason escorted me back up to my own room.
Seth was sleeping soundly when I walked in. I lay down on the bed next to him and instinctively he reached out for me, placing his hand over my stomach as if somehow he knew that a few months down the line his daughter would be growing in there.
I reached up and stroked his face and he stirred then smiled at me.
‘Hey beautiful.’ The smile fell from his face. ‘You look worried.’
‘Persia has just come back and she’s had a prophecy.’ I paused but there was no easy way to say this. ‘About our daughter. She arrives within the next year apparently.’
Seth stared at me and then sat up. ‘Next year?’
I nodded. But where I was worried about this, Seth was clearly delighted. The smile on his face grew so big that I couldn’t help smiling too.
‘This is fantastic news. The best news I’ve heard all year. Why are you so worried?’
‘Because I’m not sure if we’re ready to be parents.’
‘I am. I cannot wait to see my child growing inside you. I will do everything, you don’t need to worry about that. The night feeds, the nappy changes. You won’t need to lift a finger. You just have to lie there and I’ll look after you both.’
I smiled at his enthusiasm. He wanted this. And in reality if I somehow managed to save the world and retire to my island, having a baby would be a walk in the park in comparison.
*
It was a while later when we all amassed on the roof of the fort so I could practise my powers. Despite Cain’s warning, I knew that the key to saving the world was somehow mastering how to harness the power from the earth. Even if I could only tap into a little bit of it that would help me. And with that future with my beautiful daughter as my new incentive, I needed all the help I could get. Seth was still resting downstairs which I was glad for. He had heard Cain’s warnings the night before so I didn’t think he would be too impressed about me trying to use the earth’s power now.
‘What do you know about utilizing the earth’s power?’ I asked Persia.
‘I don’t. I’ve never tried it. I don’t think it’s something that’s even possible.’
‘I’ve done it before. Not consciously but I know I’ve done it.’
Persia shook her head. ‘Maybe you didn’t. Maybe it was your own powers that you used but you just weren’t used to the strength of it. You’re talking about tapping into someone else’s power. I couldn’t take your power just like you couldn’t take mine. I know the earth isn’t a living person, but it’s the same thing. I’m not sure anyone could do it. But then you’re not just anyone. The things you can do with your powers, no living soul could do. But the power of the earth is immense, it’s not something that could be controlled in any way. If you insist on trying, which knowing you, you probably will, you need to do so carefully. Don’t try to take it all, just… I don’t know, try to siphon off a tiny bit.’
I nodded and closed my eyes. I had taken a tiny bit when I had healed the tree. Well at least I thought I had. Maybe Persia was right and I had only tapped into my own power. Maybe I couldn’t do it. Knowing the earth’s power was there was one thing but actually reaching it and using it was a different thing altogether.
I filled myself with my power and in my mind I could picture the sphere that my power created. I just had to reach beyond that sphere to the power of the earth. But that was a lot harder than it sounded. No matter how hard I pushed against my sphere of power I couldn’t even feel the power that lay beyond let alone use it.
I felt the cool air on my face and I realised that the power was all around me, in the skies, the trees, the air we breathe. I tilted my face to the weak winter sun and opened my arms, feeling the energy pulsing around me. I took a deep breath and as I let it out I reached out for the power of the earth.
Immediately I felt it roar through me, so much so it consumed me like a great tidal wave. I felt it burn through my veins, tearing through every cell of my body. I tried to hold onto it but it was like trying to stop a hurricane.
And then everything went black.
Chapter 9
I woke with all my Guardians and Quinn peering over at me and Cassidy’s concerned face as she had evidently healed the damage I had inflicted on myself. It had been a long time since I had blacked out from using my powers but I knew it was going to be hard at first to use the earth’s power, I just had to master it. Although as I looked up into Seth’s angry face, I knew that wasn’t going to happen today.
My heart was racing, my skin felt as if it had been severely sunburnt. As I lay trying to catch my breath, I quickly let my own healing powers flow through me to finish the job that Cassidy had started.
‘Are you OK?’ Eli asked.
I nodded, feeling beyond tired.
‘You need to rest,’ Cassidy said. ‘I don’t know what you were trying to do but I don’t advise you do that again.’
Seth bent down and scooped me up and without a word he carried me back to our bedroom.
He placed me down on the bed.
‘Persia told me what you were trying to do. After Cain told you not to do it, I can’t believe you would even try. I don’t want you to do it again,’ Seth said, angrily.
I closed my eyes not having it in me to argue. Well not yet.
*
There was a knock on the bedroom door later which woke me from my dreams. As I stirred on the bed, Seth went to answer it.
I lifted my head off the pillow and saw that it was Blake and Connor, two Guardians from the fort.
‘Sorry to disturb you, but Cassidy has injured herself,’ Blake said.
I shot out of bed, feeling dizzy at the speed I had got up.
‘It’s not serious,’ Connor said, quickly. ‘It’s only her leg. But it will need healing and she obviously can’t heal herself.’
‘I’ll come,’ I said, looking around for my shoes that Seth had clearly removed while I was sleeping.
Frowning, Seth passed them to me. ‘You need to rest.’
‘I will. Just as soon as I get back. Cassidy has helped me enough times, now I need to help her.’
‘We’ll escort you down,’ Blake said.
I nodded but as I stepped outside my room, Mason and Rhesa fell in behind me which seemed a bit of overkill for a short trip down to the infirmary but I seemed to remember I had to be with a member of the personal guard or the outer
guard at all times. Blake and Connor were neither.
I started walking down the stairs and when I got to the main stair case I could see that there were a handful of other Guardians hanging around near the bottom and close to the entrance. Probably extra security precautions that Eli had put in place.
As we approached the bottom, I was suddenly aware that Connor seemed really nervous.
‘Eve, wait, something isn’t right,’ Mason suddenly said in my head. He’d clearly noticed it too.
I turned round to look at him but at that exact second Connor slammed into me, pinning me against the wall and pressing a weird smelling cloth to my face. Over his shoulder, I saw Blake punch Rhesa in the face but as Mason went for Connor, Blake intercepted him and a fight broke out between them.
My powers exploded from me in a wave, throwing Blake, Rhesa and Mason in opposite directions and Connor landed some fifty feet away from me.
I gasped for breath and I knew I had seconds before whatever had been put on that cloth blocked my powers and my link with my Guardians. Other Guardians ran from the entrance and not knowing whether they were running to fight for me or against me, I quickly reached out for the bond of my personal guard, Seth and the outer guard and pulled them all to me.
I slumped down onto the stairs, sitting awkwardly, like a puppet who had her strings cut. Blake was still running towards me, unsheathing his knife as he ran, but I had nothing left now.
Eli suddenly landed in front of me, cracking the stairs beneath his feet as he landed. The others ran down the stairs to meet the Guardians that were coming up them. I saw Seth fall in close to me, other shadows lurked nearby too.
Eli and Blake suddenly met and fought. Going up against Eli was a suicide mission but Blake didn’t seem to care.
Though after a moment, I couldn’t really see them anymore, my eyesight was becoming blurry now. Suddenly Trey was at my side, pulling my face up gently to look at him. ‘Hang in there kid, we’ll get you out of here in a second.’
I smiled slightly, despite my predicament.